


Books and Shit

by rhymeswithpapaya



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, and Levi in leather jackets because of reasons, ereri, starts out fluffy but will be angsty, this pairing is my one true weakness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-04-28
Packaged: 2018-01-17 03:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1372618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhymeswithpapaya/pseuds/rhymeswithpapaya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is a hot/cranky bookstore owner and Eren is an awkward, sexually frustrated college student that's suddenly very interested in books (his friends didn't even know he could read). </p><p>The rating will go up in later chapters; I'll add tags and characters as they come up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is me being weak and giving into my shameless Ereri urges. Prepare yourself for hot Levi and flustered Eren.

Eren looked up at the sign on the front of the building: Titan Books and Café. This was the place where his roommate, Armin, had started working at the start of the school year. They were both seniors at Trost University and this place wasn’t far from campus, so Eren wondered how it was he’d never seen it before. It looked clean and bright from the outside, with a little “Welcome, We’re Open!” sign in the side window.

With Armin’s notebook clutched in his hand, Eren stepped inside the shop. Armin had texted him to ask him to pick up some of his notes from their place to bring to him at work. He’d been skeptical that Armin would have time to do homework on the job, but the place looked pretty empty. There were rows and rows of books stretched out in front of him. To his right, Eren saw the café section, where there were several tables and a barista he recognized.

“Hey, Christa!” Eren called out to his friend.

The small blonde girl turned to him and smiled. “Eren! I’ve never seen you in here before!”

“I thought he couldn’t read,” another girl interjected from a corner table where she sat with her laptop.

“Good to see you too, Ymir,” Eren sighed. She had an abrasive personality and was always hanging around Christa for some reason. He walked over and leaned against Christa’s counter. “Where’s Armin? I came by to drop off some of his things.”

Christa fiddled with the stack of coffee sleeves in front of her, a bright smile on her face as always. “He works over on the book side. I think he may be on a break? I’m not really sure.”

Eren nodded and looked at the drink menu board posted behind her. “That’s cool. Can I have a latte, then?” She took his money and started making his drink. Eren quickly texted Armin that he was in the shop. Then he turned back to Ymir.

“Do you come here a lot?” he asked.

She shrugged noncommittally. “It’s quiet. The drinks are good,” she finally looked up and nodded over to the book side of the store. “They always have the books I need, too.”

“Maybe I’ll have to come visit Armin more, then.”

Christa handed him his coffee. “You should! And bring Mikasa with you, too.”

“Sure,” he agreed, and then promptly burned his tongue. Eren winced and Ymir laughed. He rolled his eyes but laughed a little, too. “Well anyways, nice seeing you. I should go find Armin.” He waved goodbye and walked over to the immaculate rows.

There was no one sitting at the cashier’s desk when he found it. He balanced his coffee in one hand and slid the notebook under his arm to check his phone, but he saw that Armin still hadn’t replied. He figured he might as well browse; it wasn’t like he had anything to do after he left. Mikasa, his adopted sister, was probably making dinner at the apartment they shared with Armin, but he didn’t have to rush home for that.

The first row of books he walked past was the history section. He did a double take when he saw it was labeled, “About dead people.” What the fuck? When he turned to the other side of the aisle, he saw the sign “Obscure shit.” What kind of labeling system was this? Eren admitted that he didn’t know a lot about bookstores or libraries, being an engineering major, but even he knew that this was an unconventional system to follow.

Eren sat his coffee down on a shelf and picked up a book from the “Roses and depression” (poetry) section and flipped through it. It took him a second to notice that all the poems were written in Spanish. He had taken German in college, so he was at a loss as he wondered if the poems he’d chosen featured roses or depression.

“Does that look like a fucking coaster, you shitty brat?” a deep, icy voice nearly made him drop the book in surprise. Eren thought he was alone in the store. When he turned around, he saw a short, angry man looking up at him with crossed arms.

Scratch that, this man was _hot_. He was wearing a fitted black tee with black skinny jeans and the outfit was doing him a whole hell of a lot of favors. His eyes were steely gray, narrowed angrily at Eren, slightly obscured by black bangs. Eren’s heart started pounding for a reason other than shock. It took him a little too long to respond to the man’s question, and when he did it didn’t sound like a coherent answer.

“Uh, what? What’s a coaster?”

The man’s eyes focused on Eren’s coffee cup where it sat on the shelf. “Don’t go leaving your shit all over my store.”

“Ah, sorry,” he apologized, his face turning red in embarrassment. He stuck the book back on the shelf and picked up the coffee. “You work here?”

The man groaned and said something under his breath that sounded like, “Un-fucking believable,” before pushing past Eren to grab the book he’d just put back.

“Are you here to buy something or are you just trying to ruin my day? At least put your book where it belongs,” he said. He looked closer at the book. “Pablo Neruda? You’re in the market for some Spanish love poems?”

Eren blushed harder and stuttered. “N-no, I didn’t mean…”

“Yeah, you don’t seem like you’d even be able to read English, kid,” he said, smirking. He slipped the book back where it belonged, meticulously straightening it in the row.

Eren felt himself being baited but didn’t stop his mouth in time. “Of course I can read,” he grumbled. “I didn’t even think you’d be able to see the book from there, shorty.”

“What did you call me, shitty brat?” the man crossed his arms again, his expression deadly. Eren had never felt more intimidated in his life and height had nothing to do with it. In fact, this guy was somehow looking _down_ on him. Somehow, though, he’d enjoyed pushing this mans buttons.

“Eren! Sorry, I just saw your message,” Armin wandered into the aisle, saving Eren just in time. His short, blonde best friend peeked around him. “Ah, I see you’ve met Levi. Levi, this is my friend Eren. Eren, this is my boss, Levi.”

Levi looked like he couldn’t be less interested in learning Eren’s name. He briefly nodded in Armin’s direction and said, “Keep your friend on a leash,” before turning to walk away.  
           

Eren’s breath caught in his throat. He didn’t want Levi to leave, not yet. Before he could stop, he heard himself blurting out the first thing that came to mind in an attempt to make any kind of connection with him.  
           

“So, do you go to Trost, too?” Eren asked. The way he rushed it made it sound less like a question.

“Do I look like I go to Trost, kid?” Levi responded without turning around. Eren couldn’t see his face, but if his tone was anything to go by, Levi was still unaffected by Eren’s attempt at socialization.

“Well, um, maybe,” he shrugged, looking over at Armin, who shook his head. “Aren’t you our age?”

Armin interjected as Levi turned back around. “He’s the co-owner of the bookstore, Eren. He’s older than us, so don’t be rude.”

Eren nodded but proceeded to embarrass himself. “This place is pretty weird. Oh, and I’m not a kid, I’m 21,” he added as an aside to the “kid” comment Levi kept tacking onto the end of his sentences.

Levi’s eyebrow twitched. And, Eren wasn’t sure how it was possible, his frown became more menacing than before. Eren clutched tighter to his coffee cup in fear. Armin nearly whimpered beside him. When Levi finally deigned to speak to him, his voice was laced with acid.

“Do you think I care what some shitty-too-dumb-to-live brat thinks about my store?” his words dripped with derision. Then his eyes raked down Eren’s body, leaving him feeling exposed and (unadmittedly, unexpectedly) aroused. “Anyone in cargo shorts is a kid… that douche-bag uniform isn’t helping your self-imagined alpha masculinity.” He stopped, looked Eren in the eyes, and one more “kid” fell from his beautiful, delicate, filthy mouth.

Eren felt Armin pull on his sleeve, urging him to leave, but Eren was already too deep now. He lived for challenges like this. These were the times that made his heart pound with the thrill of the chase; the knowledge that he’d knock someone off their throne and make them submit to him was heady and electrifying. Still, that didn’t change the fact that, like Levi had said, he was basically too dumb to live… he never calculated his chances of survival with much thought.

“What about UPS men?” Eren countered.

Levi sighed, frustrated that it seemed like Eren hadn’t been listening. “What about them?”

“Well, don’t they wear these pants, too? Do you call them kids?” Eren asked pointedly, feeling like the cleverest person in the room.

Armin stuck his face in his hands and laughed, but years of experience told Eren he was laughing at him, not with him. Eren shrank back a little, blushing. 

Levi was smirking. Considering that he’d spent most of the time scowling so far, Eren considered it to be progress. “I stick by my statement,” Levi said. Then he walked away for real, this time giving Eren a chance to check out his ass. He chose to believe that the encounter had ended on a positive note before Armin smacked him on the back of the head.

“Ouch! What was that for?” he whined, rubbing the back of his head. He only succeeded in making his hair messier than it already was.

“Stop drooling and give me my notebook already,” Armin deadpanned. And Eren grew flushed again because he hadn’t been subtle when checking Levi out. Armin smiled softly at his friend’s reaction. “I’ll see you at home later. Try not to get in any more trouble.”

Eren nodded and laughed half-heartedly. “Yeah, see you later.” As he exited the store, he looked back and saw that Levi was sitting at the cashier’s desk, his feet propped up on the counter, while he read a book. Eren ran into the door with a jarring _thud_. He heard Ymir laughing at him from the café but luckily Levi didn’t look up from his book. Eren wished the ground would just swallow him up already. He shakily pushed through the door and stopped himself from looking at Levi through the windows of the shop while he walked past.

His chest still felt fluttery when he made it home. He waved briefly to Mikasa before going into the room he and Armin shared in the small apartment and threw himself on his bed. With his face in his pillow, Eren knew that soon enough he’d have a hard time staying away from Titan Books and Café.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren tries to be less of a hot mess and Jean ruins his life.

The next day, Eren sat in his afternoon class, worrying his pen with his teeth. He was having a hard time focusing on the lecture. That was probably because he was trying to come up with a nonchalant way to visit Armin at work without making him suspicious. As it was, Eren had done his best to avoid Armin and Mikasa the night before… they had a sixth sense for knowing when he was about to do something stupid, and he didn’t want to hear them reprimand him.

He knew they’d tell him it was impossible and weird that he’d found Levi attractive. Worse, they’d tell him not to bother to try to get to know him. Eren’s oldest friends never wanted to see him get hurt, even if it was in something as silly as a snowball fight. And the last few times he’d shown interest in a guy, they’d practically driven him away out of fear that things could end badly for Eren.

Eren dragged a hand through his already messy hair to shake off his guilt at blaming his friends for his failed relationships. Could a few dates even be called a relationship? During college, Eren had fallen into the terrible pattern of repeatedly getting dumped after a few dates (before things even got to the good part, he lamented). He attributed this to the fact that after hanging out a few times, most of his dates had become fed up with his personality. It was a hard thing for him to admit to himself. He was loud, stubborn, and generally belligerent. When his dates realized that he wasn’t the cute, blushing, awkward guy he was when they’d first met, they went packing, leaving Eren wondering what he’d said wrong.

His class ended and Eren collected his things. He berated himself for automatically thinking about being in a relationship with Levi. He did want to be in a relationship, but he shouldn’t let one meeting with a hot guy get his hopes up. It’d been too long since he’d gone out with anyone, he reasoned. He was just projecting his lonely neediness onto Levi. It made him laugh. And it almost stopped him from walking to the bookstore. Almost.

On the way there, he’d decided that he would invite Armin out to lunch since he hadn’t eaten dinner with him the night before. Totally casual. No one could question him for visiting his best friend.

When he walked into the store, he saw Armin ringing up someone at the counter. He very purposefully did not look around the store for anyone else. The customer left and Armin smiled at Eren.

“Hey! What are you doing here today?” he asked.

Eren walked over and leaned on the counter. “What am I doing here? I can’t take my friend out to lunch during his break?”

Armin pushed his shoulder. “Of course you can. It’s just a surprise is all.”

A woman with short, auburn hair walked over to join Armin behind the counter. “Is this the friend you told me about? Eren, right?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m Eren,” he introduced himself.

“I’m Petra,” she smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you; Armin has such nice things to say about you.”

“Do you work here with him selling books?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been here since this place opened a few years ago.”

“Hey Petra,” Armin interjected, “is it okay if I go on my break now? Eren said he wanted to go to lunch.”

Petra looked around the store. There weren’t any customers. “Yeah, I don’t think Levi will mind, since it’s slow.”

Armin gave her a little side hug. “Thanks! Eren, I just have to do something in the stock room really quick, but then I’ll be out and we can go.”

“Okay,” Eren agreed. He tried to pretend that he hadn’t been thinking about finding Levi since Petra mentioned his name. Luckily, a customer came in and Petra went to greet him. He decided that, since he was waiting on Armin, it wouldn’t hurt to browse through the books like he had the day before. Maybe he’d even find something that made him look smart this time.

Eren wandered aimlessly until he was near the shelves in the back of the store. He half-heartedly read book spines and found himself wondering what kind of books Levi liked to read. Then, he saw Levi himself, sitting on a couch pushed up against the back wall. It was in a little nook, with another love seat and a coffee table in-between. Eren picked up a book at random from the shelf in front of him and opened it, trying to be inconspicuous as he looked at Levi.

He was relaxing on the couch with a book and a cup of tea. His feet were pulled underneath him and there was a fucking _cat_ sitting in his lap. Levi was petting its head and Eren could hear the cat purring from where he was standing. How he wished he were that cat. Levi was wearing a V-neck forest green t-shirt with his black skinny jeans and Converse. Was he really older than Eren? It looked like he could be a college student. The only thing that might give away his age was the tiny crease between his eyebrows that showed up while he read and the dark marks under his eyes. Otherwise, his features were youthful and delicate, like a-

“I’d tell you to take a picture since it would last longer, but I’m worried what you would do with it,” Levi cut off Eren’s train of thought. He didn’t even look up from his book.

Eren backpedaled in terror. “How did you know I was here?” he asked stupidly.

Levi shrugged but didn’t look up until he’d marked his page with his thumb. His face was a blank mask when he regarded Eren. “That book is popular with children. I think you’ll really enjoy it.”

Eren almost couldn’t even bring himself to look down at the book he was holding in his hands. When he did, he saw that it was a picture book called _Cute Beluga Whales!_ written by some guy named Ronald Simmons. He wasn’t sure if he felt more embarrassed for himself, or for the guy who wrote the book. Eren knew his face was entirely red by this point, so he figured he might as well drive into the skid.

“Can you help me with the big words?” Eren asked teasingly. He walked over and sat on the loveseat.

“I don’t teach brats,” Levi huffed in annoyance. Eren was a little proud to see that he’d had a hard time thinking of a good comeback.

Eren felt encouraged to keep talking. “I’m not a great student, anyways,” he admitted. “What are you reading?” Levi couldn’t even muster the energy to respond; he flipped his book cover in Eren’s direction. It was in French. “Wow, you speak French?”

“No, I’m just looking at the pictures,” Levi deadpanned.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you have other strengths,” Eren joked.

Levi squinted at him. “What are you doing here besides bothering me?” He didn’t want to talk to Eren anymore, he realized, deflating.

“I, uh, came here to go out with Armin to lunch.”

“Hmm,” is all Levi said. Then he went back to reading his book and petting his cat. It looked like Eren had been dismissed.

But Eren didn’t want it to end. Not when he swore he’d seen a flicker of _something_ in Levi’s eyes as they teased each other. “Is that your cat?”

“Yes.”

“What’s it’s name?”

“Titan.”

Eren smiled at the black cat, since Levi still wasn’t looking at him. “You named your bookstore after your cat?”

“Who says I named it after my cat?” Levi asked, sounding disinterested as ever. But Eren saw the small smirk on his face. And then Eren felt his face grow hot again as he picked up on Levi’s innuendo and _oh God no, don’t think about his dick_.

Wait… was Levi flirting with him? His breath caught in his throat and every comeback he could conceive died on his lips. Levi looked up at him and did he look… pleased?

“Jaeger, what the fuck are you doing here?” Eren heard the grating voice of his least favorite person. He cursed and turned to see Jean Kirschstein standing over him, his arms crossed and his perpetual bitch-face looking more horsey than normal.

“Get the fuck out of my face, Jean,” Eren spat back. Jean was really the last person he wanted to see right now. He looked back at Levi and saw that he’d risen his eyebrows ever so slightly.

Jean scoffed. “It’s not like I wanna see your dumb ass. Where’s Armin? He was supposed to meet me for lunch.”

There were few things Eren disliked about Armin, and the main one was that he was friends with Jean. Armin would just roll his eyes when Eren called Jean his worst enemy and say, “Just give him a chance, he’s a good guy once you get to know him.” No fucking thank you.

Eren stood up so that they were face to face. “What? I’m going to lunch with him. And you’re not invited, horse-face.”

“Stop fucking calling me a horse,” Jean balled up his fists.

“I call it like I see it, dickbag.”

Jean growled. “I don’t see why Armin can even stand to hang out with you, moron. I bet it’s because he feels sorry for you.”

Eren grabbed Jean by the collar of his shirt. “Take that back before I enter you into the Kentucky Derby.”

“Make me, stupid shit!” Jean pushed him violently, but Eren didn’t let go.

Eren felt ready to throw a punch when he felt a little pair of arms trying to get between them. “Jean! Eren! What are you doing?” Armin yelled over them, still trying to wedge his way in. Neither of them backed down, though.

“Armin, take your boyfriends outside so they can finish measuring their dicks,” Levi said in the icy tone Eren had heard the day before. He looked over and Levi was sipping at his tea coolly. Shit, Eren had totally forgotten he was there. He dropped his arms back to his sides and felt ashamed that Levi had seen him goaded by Jean.

Armin stuttered and waved his hands. “T-they’re not my boyfriends. S-sorry, Levi!” He grabbed both of them by an arm and dragged them towards the café. Eren stopped himself from looking back at Levi. Somehow, he knew he’d already be looking at his book again, like their conversation had never happened.

“Are you guys trying to get me fired?” Armin turned on them when they got to the café side of the store. “Levi really doesn’t tolerate the kind of stuff you guys just pulled.”

They both mumbled that they were sorry, and it was half true. Neither of them wanted to get Armin in trouble.

Still, Eren had a question. “Armin, why didn’t you tell me that you were supposed to meet Jean for lunch today?”

Armin looked at his feet. “I thought we could all go together. Jean comes and visits me all the time, but you never do.”

That took all the fight out of Eren. Armin was a chess master; he always knew just what to say to get people to go along with what he wanted.

“Fine,” Eren relented, still not looking at Jean.

“Great! This new guy started today in the bakery and he makes the _best_ scones. I’ll introduce you both to him. His name is Marco,” Armin rattled off while Eren and Jean followed.

Eren spent lunch trying not to punch Jean in the nose, but Jean seemed preoccupied with the new baker. He had an insane amount of freckles and _damn_ his scones were good.

When Armin had to get back to work, Jean stayed to talk to Marco and Eren decided he would go home, but someone stopped him by shouting his name.

He turned around and Petra was waving to him from the counter. “Eren! You forgot your book!”

His book? He went over to Petra and she presented him with _Cute Beluga Whales!_

“Levi said you wanted to buy this, but you left it when you went to the café with your friends.”

Eren scratched the back of his neck and laughed softly. “Oh he did?”

Petra smiled, already ringing up the picture book.

Eren smiled back and pulled out his wallet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren meets Levi's... interesting friends.

Eren felt a weight settle onto the end of his bed. Why was he even awake? It was Friday and he didn’t have classes. He rolled over and curled back into his comforter.

“Eren, wake up,” Mikasa said. This was a surprisingly gentle wakeup call coming from her. It wasn’t unusual to see her pulling Eren bodily from the bed by his feet when he refused to wake up. Still, it was Friday. He mumbled this fact into his pillow.

Mikasa scooted further up the bed and poked Eren in the back. “We have to get scones at Armin’s shop.”

“Hwah? Scones?” it was too early to make full sentences.

“Yeah, Sasha texted everyone and invited us to breakfast at Titan,” Armin interjected from the other side of their shared room. “Jean hasn’t stopped talking about Marco and his scones since yesterday.”

Eren laughed and finally rolled over to face them both. “Of course Sasha would want to meet Marco.” Their energetic friend was rarely found without food in her mouth, or food falling out of it while she talked too fast. “Do you really want to go over there on your day off, Armin?”

“Of course! I want to see everyone, after all. Plus, there was a book I was going to buy after work yesterday but I ran out of time...” Armin went on about some heavy-sounding textbook he’d found at the store and Eren started to tune him out. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in his friend’s hobbies. It was that he suddenly couldn’t lie still because he hoped he’d be able to see Levi for the third day in a row. And this time, no one could say he didn’t have a legitimate reason for going to his place of business. He didn’t want to admit to anyone that he’d actually read the beluga book the night before.

The café was surprisingly busy once they arrived. This seemed to be because Sasha invited everyone she knew. When Eren walked in with Mikasa and Armin, they spotted her leaning on Marco’s counter, a scone in her mouth and another one waiting to be eaten in her other hand. Jean was there, too, scowling at whatever Sasha was saying. Whatever it was was making Marco’s cheeks pink under his freckles.

Eren glanced around and saw that all his friends were there. It would be easier to ignore Jean, then. He still felt bad for getting in a fight with him in the middle of Levi’s shop the day before, mostly because Levi had witnessed it.

Speaking of which… Eren turned and let out a shaky breath when he spotted Levi sitting at a corner table with someone else. A big someone else, a good-looking someone else. Hell, that guy could be a fucking Ralph Lauren model; he was blonde, clean cut, and muscular. Was he Levi’s boyfriend? Eren felt his throat contract at the thought.

He was still going through an internal struggle over whether he should feel jealous or over a guy he barely knew when Armin brushed past him and walked to Levi’s table.

“Professor Smith! Good morning, what are you doing here? Are you friends with Levi?” Armin asked the blonde man. Eren forced his mouth to shut when he realized his jaw had fallen open. He remembered Armin gushing about this guy; it must be Erwin Smith, his literature professor.

Erwin blinked at Armin, surprised by his sudden appearance. “Oh, hello Armin. Yes, Levi and I are good friends. I thought I’d meet him for breakfast today,” he answered simply. Even Eren had to admit he was charming, though. “And you can call me Erwin outside of class.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Shit, I figured you two would meet in here eventually.” Armin and Erwin both looked at him, near identically raising an eyebrow to ask what Levi meant. Eren felt creeped out from where he was standing, still unacknowledged by any of them.

“Armin works here,” Levi explained to Erwin, “and he never fucking shuts up about you. If I never hear your derivate interpretations of _Crime and Punishment_ again it won’t be too soon.”

Armin blushed. “You never told me you were friends, Levi.”

“I apologize for my friend. I’m sure if you work with him you know that he isn’t a morning person,” Erwin tried to smooth things over. “Why don’t you sit down with us, Armin? Your friend can come, too,” he said, glancing at Eren who awkwardly hovered nearby.

“Great!” Armin said. He was already pulling up two chairs to the small table and grabbing Eren’s arm to make him sit down between him and Levi. “This is Eren,” Armin introduced him.

Erwin stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Eren. I’m Erwin Smith. Are you a student at Trost?”

“Uh, yeah,” Eren replied. His handshake was strong and intimidating. Eren pulled his hand away and found himself looking at Levi. The man was scowling at him, bringing his porcelain cup to his lips to drink his tea. He held the cup with his fingers around the brim… how was that possible?

Armin and Erwin launched into a conversation about class that Eren couldn’t follow. He wanted to talk to Levi, but Levi seemed more withdrawn than normal. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was looking out the window, watching pedestrians walk past. Was he angry with Eren for what happened the day before? He decided he might as well say something.

“I’m sorry for what happened yesterday,” he said to Levi, gaining his attention. “I mean, for getting into a fight with Jean.”

Levi’s gray eyes were doubtful. “No you’re not. You’re just sorry I was there to see it.”

Was Eren that easy to read? It was true that he shouldn’t have said something he didn’t mean, but to be called out on it like that, when he was only trying to be polite… he felt his temper flare.

“You’re right, I’m not sorry that I almost broke Jean’s nose. He deserved it,” he spat. He crossed his arms, mirroring Levi. “Next time I won’t hold back.”

Levi sighed, suddenly looking tired, running a hand through his precisely styled hair. “Listen, kid. Don’t go around picking unnecessary fights. You’ll end up regretting it.”

“I can take care of myself. I’ve been in plenty of fights. Yesterday was nothing,” Eren insisted.

“Shitty fights with that horse guy don’t count. Don’t get cocky. One day you’ll go too far… and not everyone fights with their fists,” Levi said. His eyes were sharp when they met Eren’s, but Eren willed himself not to look away, his heart pounding. “And you’re not the only one that can get hurt.” Levi’s voice was deep and dead serious. It sounded like he was experienced.

Eren fell back in his chair, feeling thoroughly admonished. He couldn’t argue Levi’s point.

“Just promise not to get into stupid fights, okay brat?” Levi added, his tone a little lighter.

Eren tried to stop his hands from trembling. He couldn’t help but feel that Levi was showing that he cared. That he cared about Eren.

He licked his dry lips. “I promise.”

There was a look of satisfaction in Levi’s eyes, and a small smile graced his lips. Eren savored the expression because it quickly flitted away, replaced by a look of annoyance. _What did I do now_? Eren wondered.

A shadow loomed over him before someone clamped down on his shoulder.

“Levi! Are you giving this cutie advice? Are you in the Scared Straight program or something?” a shrill cry broke through the chatter of the café. Eren gulped nervously and turned around to see a maniacal-looking woman in thick glasses and a ponytail. She was gripping onto Eren’s shoulder, peering at him through the gleam of her lenses.

Levi just waved her away like it was an everyday occurrence to be accosted by such a fiend. “Get out of here, shitty glasses.”

Eren’s face was on fire, but not because a nutcase was practically wrapped around him. “S-scared… straight?” he stuttered. Was this lady homophobic? Was Levi?

Armin grabbed his hand. Apparently he’d been listening in, though it was hard not to. “Eren, Scared Straight is a program where convicts warn adolescents about the dangers of committing crimes. Hanji was making a joke, since Levi was telling you to stop getting into fights,” he said. Then he squeezed Eren’s hand and let it go. Eren relaxed after that, thankful that Armin had understood his concern without having to say anything.

The woman- _Hanji_ \- rubbed her face against the top of Eren’s head. “That’s right! Plus, if you weren’t gay I wouldn’t be able to set up you and Levi.”

“ _Hanji_ ,” Levi hissed. He stood up and wrenched the abrasive woman off of Eren, whose hair was standing up on end from her… ministrations. “Don’t make me throw you back in your dungeon.”

“Hanji is in charge of the café,” Armin leaned over to explain. At least it explained why Armin and Erwin seemed to be used to her antics.

Her words were ringing in Eren’s ears… _“set up you and Levi_ ”…

Levi was gay. Levi was single. He felt very proud of himself when he deduced these facts and confirmed that Erwin was not, in fact, Levi’s boyfriend.

_Maybe he had a chance._

“But he’s so cute!” Hanji protested Levi’s grip. Her hands scrabbled to pinch Eren’s cheeks, which he managed to dodge in time. “You should ask him out!”

Eren’s entire body lit up saying _yes, yes ask me out_ , but he shyly hung his head, unsure of what to say out loud. He felt like a tongue-tied, love-struck middle schooler all of a sudden. It was strange to hear Hanji talk about him that way.

Levi huffed. “I don’t date brats, Hanji,” he said, with an air of finality. He didn’t even look in Eren’s direction. “Now, where’s Moblit? Do I have to chain you up in the kitchen?”

Hanji made whimpering animal noises as Levi dragged her back to the kitchen.

Eren’s shoulders fell and he slumped down in his chair. It felt like he’d lost his chance with Levi… or maybe he’d never had a chance at all. To be dismissed so simply like that… well, he never handled rejection well.

“Eren! We still haven’t had our breakfast yet!” Armin intervened before Eren could feel too bad for himself. “And we’ve been ignoring all our friends. Why don’t you come with me to say hi?” Armin politely excused them from Erwin and started over to the table where Mikasa sat.

Erwin stopped Eren before he could follow. “Don’t worry so much about Levi. I’m honestly surprised to see him even talk to you. You’ve already made progress, so just give him a little more time,” he said kindly. Eren felt himself blushing again, and he was grateful to have met Levi’s friend after all.

“I will,” he agreed. “Thanks.”

When he got to the other table, Reiner and Connie were inviting everyone out to the bar that night. Mikasa looked disinterested as usual as she sat next to Ymir, who kept her eye on Christa, who was working. Sasha and Jean were still bothering Marco.

“What’s the occasion?” Armin asked Reiner when they were invited.

Reiner lightly punched him on the shoulder. “The occasion is that it’s Friday night.”

“And we’re gonna show Marco a good time,” Connie added, waggling his eyebrows. Eren laughed, already feeling his mood lift.

He tried not to let it fall when Levi bypassed him completely, waving goodbye to Erwin before heading to the bookstore to start the day.

It was going to be a long weekend.

“Are you in, Eren?” he heard Reiner ask.

“Huh?”

“Are you coming out with us tonight?”

He nodded vigorously. “Yes. Yeah… I need a drink.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on "Books and Shit"... Levi's POV! Leather jackets! Bar fights!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi goes drinking and then kicks ass in a leather jacket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone that's been reading so far! This is my first chapter in Levi's POV; I hope you all like it.

Anyone that thought Levi was evil obviously hadn’t met Hanji. Hanji was Satan’s spawn. Levi was deluding himself with this thought while Hanji pushed another drink into his hand with a cackle.

“Shitty college bar,” Levi groaned. The bar Hanji and Petra had dragged him to was dark and filthy, but it was getting easier to ignore now that he was on his… what drink was this? All Levi knew was that his drink was strong but it didn’t burn his throat like it should when he took an overly large gulp of it.

“All college bars are shitty. It’s part of the experience,” Hanji insisted. Her thick-lensed glasses were pushed back on her head and her ponytail was falling out.

“Why do you want me to have a shitty experience?”

Petra laughed from his other side. The three of them were leaning over the bar with their drinks. It was the only way they could avoid the horny college students writhing on the dance floor behind them. “We don’t! We just thought you should get out and have fun tonight.”

Only hours before, Hanji had accosted Levi, demanding he go out drinking with her and Petra. Naturally, he refused. Then Hanji threatened to give Auroro his cell phone number. Considering Levi’d gone years without that annoying wannabe being able to contact him directly, it was a threat he took seriously. He needed to stop having friends that knew how to manipulate him, he thought bitterly.

Hanji threw herself on Levi, her arms wrapping around his shoulders. “You know you love drinking with us, old man.”

“Get off me, you old hag,” he protested, but didn’t immediately push her away. Maybe he was drunker than he thought. Hanji laughed and smacked a kiss on his cheek before disentangling herself. “Ugh! That’s nasty!” he wiped at his face.

Hanji mumbled something about having cooties and Petra leaned over Levi to poke her in the side. “Don’t kiss Levi! He’s not for you!”

“Oh, who’s he for?” Hanji raised her eyebrows.

“That boy that keeps coming to Titan, remember?” she looked at Hanji pointedly.

Hanji pouted for a second, thinking hard, and Levi could see the moment when her brain cleared enough to respond. “Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah!”

“What the fuck are you two talking about,” Levi groused. The music in bar was too loud for him to hear half of what they were saying. He knocked back the rest of his drink and decided he would go home where there would be decidedly less shrieking. He lived over the bookstore, which was only a few blocks from the bar. That was one of the benefits of being in a college town, though he hated everything else about it. He put on his leather jacket and hoped the cool air outside would help him sober up on his walk back to his apartment.

Hanji and Petra were still talking a little too animatedly about something when he stepped away from the bar. He checked his phone and saw that he’d missed a text from Erwin.

_Tell Hanji I couldn’t make it tonight. Don’t let her get you too drunk._

Fuck, Erwin knew them too well. Even if his text was well intentioned, it was too late. Still, it was probably better that his ex-boyfriend hadn’t shown up. Even though they hadn’t dated for almost eight years now, Levi sometimes had trouble keeping his hands to himself around Erwin when he was drunk.

Levi made his way to the exit, keeping on the edges of the bar so he wouldn’t have to cut through the dance floor. The cold air outside was bracing when he stepped out into the street. It was only halfway through October, but the nights were already getting colder. He popped the collar of his jacket and stuffed his hands in his pockets to keep them warm.

The streetlights over him illuminated the path that he seemed to be one of the only one walking down. It was strange, for a Friday night. At the end of the block, he saw a short blonde crossing gripping their cell phone hard against their ear. Even though he was still a little tipsy, Levi could tell it was Armin, and that something was wrong. There’s no reason Armin would be in this part of town by himself at night. Then he heard muffled shouting and he found himself jogging to Armin’s side, his instincts kicking in.

“Armin?” he asked when he was by his side. Armin’s eyes didn’t meet his, though; he was focused on the alley to his left, where at least four guys were in the middle of a fight. He was on the phone, and it sounded like he was talking to the police, his eyes wide and terrified.

Levi didn’t need an explanation; he could already guess what was going on. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw a guy in the alley grab someone with overly messy brown hair and punch him in the jaw. Fuck, of course it was Eren, that damn brat that kept coming to the shop with Armin. He was outnumbered and clearly outmatched. Nothing sickened Levi more. He sighed and popped his knuckles. Armin finally recognized him by his side and started to say something, but Levi just flashed him a dark look and ran into the alley.

 _Like riding an old, fucking bike_ , Levi thought when his fist connected with some thug’s nose before brining a knee to his groin. He stomped on the guy’s foot with astounding force, breaking bones, for good measure before knocking him across the back of the head. One down, two to go.

Eren was stuck in-between the two remaining guys and he was getting his ass handed to him. One had wrenched Eren’s arms behind him and the other was punching him in the gut.

“Hey fuckers,” Levi shouted, and the three of them spun around to look at him. His face was marred with malicious intent. “It’s your lucky night. I’m about to tear you both a new asshole.”

The guy punching Eren paused and laughed as he looked down on Levi. “That’s big talk for a midget,” he slurred. It wasn’t the first time Levi had been overlooked because of his height.

Levi grinned wickedly and the man actually backed up. “I won’t be gentle,” he said, his voice low and steady. The man had the presence of mind to look terrified. Then he looked past Levi to where his friend was lying unconscious on the ground, and further to where Armin was still on the phone.

“Shit, let’s get out of here!” he cried, dropping his fists to run. But he wasn’t fast enough. Levi grabbed him by the collar and pulled him backwards, kicking out the man’s feet from under him. He landed on his back and the air rushed from his lungs. Levi grabbed one of his flailing arms and forced it into a sickening angle until it cracked and the man screamed. Levi put his feet on either side of the man’s head while the man twisted to grab his broken arm, grabbed his collar again, pulled him up, and slammed him back down with force that would probably cause head trauma.

Eren had also begun to dispatch his opponent by the time Levi turned around. With a swift kick from Levi to the man’s back, he too fell into the pile of human refuse. Eren just stared at Levi, slack-jawed. His face was already turning purple under his eye and jaw and he was cradling his side.

“Fucking brat, what did I tell you about getting into fights?” Levi spat, his blood boiling. “You shouldn’t go around getting yourself into this shit, there won’t always be someone to bail you out.”

At that, the fire came back into Eren’s eyes. “They were fucking molesting a girl! Was I supposed to do nothing?”

“Where’s the girl?”

Armin was approaching them hesitantly. “She already ran away, she’s fine. Once Eren got involved, it was easy for her to slip away unnoticed. Her friends don’t live far from here.”

Levi ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t bring himself to argue with Eren when he’d been trying to protect someone, even if he’d gone about it stupidly. Eren was hotheaded and impulsive, and that was definitely going to get him into trouble someday. But now wasn’t the time to lecture him. He was tired, angry, and afraid and probably wouldn’t listen to anything Levi had to say.

“Well, now that you’re done playing hero, go talk to the cops and take care of yourself,” Levi said tiredly.

Eren frowned. “What about you?”

“The cops don’t want to see me,” he replied, already starting to walk away.

“Didn’t you get hurt?”

Levi laughed and reached for the box of cigarettes in his back pocket. He shook one out and lit it up, taking a long drag before he responded. “They’re lucky I left my brass knuckles at home.”

Armin noticeably shifted away from Levi, but Eren just stared in dumb amazement.

Levi popped the collar of his jacket up again and left the alley. The cold nipped at his fingers as he drew his cigarette from his mouth. He was sober now, and his heart was ringing in his ears from the workout. His phone vibrated and he saw a text from Hanji.

_where you go?????? shotzzzzz!!!!!!!!_

He replied back that he wouldn’t be taking care of her hung-over ass in the morning. The sound of sirens caught his attention and he saw two police cars zip past him towards Eren and Armin.

Levi put out his cigarette, one last trail of smoke leaving his lips. He found himself wondering when Eren would come back to the shop. And it wasn’t until then that he belatedly realized that Eren was the one Hanji and Petra were trying to set him up with. What a dumbass idea.

He opened the door to his apartment with a private smile on his lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on "Books and Shit": tattoos and angry cats.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's can't seem to figure out exactly who Levi is. Hanji tries to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this under the influence of Nutella and Kpop... enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Eren spent his Friday night in the hospital after the police showed up and dealt with the drunkards. He’d been worried about how the situation would look from the outside, but apparently the girl he’d helped out had called the police herself as she ran away and corroborated the story, along with Armin. Armin had then insisted on taking Eren to get checked out at the hospital, but in the end nothing was broken, only bruised. Things could’ve gone a lot worse if Levi hadn’t shown up when he did.

Levi had been… unearthly when he appeared in the middle of the fight, his expression leaving no room to wonder what he’d been about to do. His movements were quick and practiced, quiet and punishing. Eren recalled their conversation in the café earlier, and how Armin had implied that Levi was an ex-con after Hanji’s joke. He had to admit he’d been dubious, but there was no denying what he saw in the alley that night. And, worryingly, the thought didn’t scare him. If anything, Eren was grateful for someone like Levi, especially when he’d started the fight with little thought. He even felt a little cowed by Levi’s admonishment after the endorphins of the fight had worn off. Still, he knew he wouldn’t have done anything differently.

It was Monday afternoon and Eren’s classes had just ended. He walked towards Titan Books and Café without the hesitation that had been in his steps the week before. When he arrived, he would talk to Levi, and he had no reason to disguise the purpose of his visit. He hoped to thank Levi for his help, since he hadn’t done so on Friday.

Before he walked into the shop, he caught a glance of himself in the large windows. His black eye was still terrible to look at, but the bruising on his jaw didn’t look as awful as it had on Friday night. Mikasa had, expectedly, been out for blood when she saw what had happened to Eren. She’d barely spoken to him all weekend after he told her what happened; she couldn’t bring herself to lecture him, but she was still too upset to talk to him. Armin and Eren had wisely decided to leave Levi out of the story. But somehow, Eren knew, Mikasa was aware that there was a part of the night’s adventure that she hadn’t been told about.

Eren stepped into the bookstore and was immediately spotted by Reiner.

“Eren! Holy shit, what happened to you? Is that why you didn’t come to the bar on Friday?” he asked, gesturing to Eren’s face. Reiner was sitting with his boyfriend, Bertholdt, a freaking beanpole of a guy with anxiety issues. Said beanpole stayed quiet but raised his eyebrows in concern and curiosity, mirroring his blunt boyfriend. They were holding hands across the little circular table that separated them, and Eren couldn’t help but feel envious. It wasn’t that he wanted to be with either Reiner, who was like an older brother to him, or Bertholdt, he just wanted to be as happy as they were when they were together. They’d been friends their whole lives and started dating in college, after much amusing and awkward flirting.

Eren tried to play his injuries off. He was too well known for his short temper and propensity to get into fights. The two sitting in front of him hardly looked surprised to see him with a black eye. “Yeah, sorry I didn’t make it. Armin and I were on our way when… things happened.”

“Things?” Reiner asked for clarification.

“Erm…” Eren faltered. “It was nothing, there was just a girl that needed some help…”

“Eren!” someone called to him. Eren turned and saw Marco waving to him from the coffee counter. “I’m so glad to see you!”

“… hi?” Eren replied. Had he become best friends with this guy and forgotten about it? He was surprised that Marco even remembered his name. Maybe Marco was just overly nice to everyone he met.

Marco beckoned him to the coffee counter and Eren went over hesitantly, leaving Reiner and Bertholdt. “Thank you _so_ much for helping out Mina on Friday night!” Marco gushed.

“Mina?” Man, Marco was making him feel like an idiot; he could only reply in monosyllabic questions. How did he look so happy, for real?

“The girl in trouble the other night was my friend, Mina. She was actually coming over to my place… we were going to meet Jean and the others at the bar,” Marco tensed up, finally frowning. “If only I hadn’t made her come to meet me…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Marco,” Eren reassured him.

“But…”

“Really. At least Mina’s okay, right?” Eren asked. Marco was too nice for his own good, Eren had a feeling. Eren was in no way trying to brush off what had happened to Mina, but he knew that Marco couldn’t feel guilty for things that had already happened. “From now on, we’ll all be more careful.”

Marco’s shoulders dropped as he visibly calmed. “Thanks, Eren. Really.”

Eren grinned. “That’s what friends are for, don’t worry about it.” He would be friends with Marco after all. He was kind and made good scones. Once he thought about baked goods, he figured it would be a good idea to pick something up for Mikasa as an apology.

But before he could order, Hanji popped up from behind Marco, effectively scaring the shit out of Eren. He couldn’t be sure if he was more afraid of Hanji’s sudden appearance or her eerie demeanor.

“You guys just come out of the woodwork here, don’t you?” he mumbled to himself. He tried to look more casual, crossing his arms and pretending he hadn’t almost jumped out of his skin.

“Cutie!” Hanji cried. She really did look overjoyed to see him, maybe even more so than Marco had been minutes ago. Eren assumed this was a bad omen. That, and the horrible nickname he’d been given. He was fairly certain no one had ever called him cute in his life. “Monster” or “nightmare” wouldn’t have been far off, though.

“Looks like you had some fun this weekend,” she went on. “What are you doing here today? Armin isn’t working.”

Eren hadn’t planned on telling anyone he was going to talk to Levi because he didn’t want to somehow implicate him in Friday’s fight. Still, he was too slow to think up excuse. “I’m, uh, here to see Levi, actually,” he admitted.

Hanji’s already unsettling eyes got even larger. “Is that so? He just left. Is there something you wanted to tell him?”

“Ah, no, that’s alright,” Eren replied. He tried not to look too disappointed. He figured he would just get Mikasa’s scone and leave.

But Hanji wasn’t done with him yet. “Do you think you could do me a favor since you’re here, Eren? I don’t get off of work until close, so it would be really helpful.” She was trying to keep her expression and tone neutral, but Eren could tell she was giddy. He looked to Marco in askance, but the freckled baker just shrugged, as clueless as he was.

“Sure?” Eren hedged. He wasn’t quite sure why he was agreeing.

“Hold on a minute. Don’t move a muscle!” Hanji said, already running towards the book side of the store. Once again, Marco didn’t have any advice to offer Eren.

When Hanji came back, she was holding Titan the Cat (Eren had to call him that to… specify) in her arms and he looked rather displeased about the whole situation. “Can you take him to Levi’s apartment for me?”

“L-levi’s apartment?” Eren turned red.

“Yeah, Levi forgot to take him home, and I won’t be able to do it until later. Levi lives just upstairs,” she told him. She pushed Titan the Cat into his arms and went into her pocket, pulling out a key. “You can just leave him in there.”

Titan the Cat started scratching at Eren’s chest, his claws sticking into Eren’s shirt as he hissed unhappily. “Are you sure that’s alright?” The last thing Eren wanted to do was get in trouble for going into Levi’s apartment, especially after getting scratched up by his ornery cat.

Hanji waved it off. “Sure, no problem. It’s just really not fair to Titan to stay here all day, is all.”

“Why did Levi name him after the store?” Eren asked, still curious since Levi hadn’t answered his question in the end.

Hanji laughed. “Oh, I named him. I thought it was cute, kinda like he could be our mascot or something,” she said while petting said cat, which seemed unmoved by the attention. “After Levi found him, he just kept calling Titan ‘Cat’.”

“He found him?”

“Yeah, a few years ago Titan was a little thing hiding in the dumpsters outside, so Levi took him in.” Hanji looked up and laughed at Eren’s dropped jaw. “Surprised?”

Eren struggled to continue to hold the cat. “I mean… I feel like it’s hard to figure out what kind of guy Levi is,” he said honestly. Was the same guy that beat three guys nearly to death the same guy that adopted an abandoned kitten?

Hanji put a hand on his shoulder. “If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you,” she said simply. Eren wasn’t sure that would ever happen, but he still smiled when Hanji winked at him. “Now take that cat home. When you go outside and take a left, you’ll see a set of stairs. Levi’s apartment is at the top.”

“Alright. I’ll come back to give you the key when I’m done,” Eren promised.

“Okay,” Hanji grinned wickedly.

Titan the Cat was still doing his best to escape, and made it difficult for Eren to put the key into the lock when he got to the top of the stairs on the side of the store. Eren allowed himself a moment to feel anxious before he opened the door. This was Levi’s home and even though he’d gotten permission from Levi’s friend to enter, he still felt timid about doing it when Levi wasn’t around.

When the door finally opened, Eren walked in and shut it behind him quickly to make sure the cat wouldn’t try to escape. But when he did let Titan the Cat out of his arms, he darted through the living room and into an open doorway that led to Levi’s bedroom.

Eren took a moment to look around the small space. It was definitely a bachelor’s apartment: it was sparsely furnished with only a living room, kitchen, and bedroom (he assumed the bathroom was off the bedroom). It was immaculately clean, though, and Eren remembered all the times Armin had come home late from work because he’d stayed to help Levi clean the store to his specifications.

As he stood in the doorway and imagined Levi sitting on the couch and cooking in the kitchen, he heard a voice come from the bedroom.

“Titan?” Levi asked, supposedly having seen his cat. “Oh, Hanji, I forgot to tell you earlier…”

Levi had stepped out of the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, fresh out of the shower. He stopped talking when he looked up and saw Eren frozen before him. “You aren’t Hanji,” he stated, a hint of surprise coming through his obvious anger.

“Um, uh,” Eren stuttered. He begged his brain to make a coherent sentence, anything. But all his focus was on shirtless, wet, practically naked Levi. There were still beads of water running down his well-defined chest and powerful arms. He pushed his wet hair off his forehead where a few strands were still stuck. His cheeks were red from the heat of the shower and _fuck,_ Eren knew he shouldn’t be staring but he couldn’t stop.

“What are you doing in my apartment, brat?” Levi prompted him. He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Eren until he dropped his eyes to his shoes. Eren belatedly noticed that they were dirtying the entryway.

“H-hanji gave me the key… she wanted me to bring your cat home.”

Levi opened his mouth to say something else, but his phone buzzed from where it sat on the couch. Levi snarled and went over to it, texting furiously when he picked it up. With his back turned, Eren could see the massive tattoo sprawled across Levi’s shoulders. It was of a pair of wings, stylistic in black and white. Eren’s mouth felt dry as he saw Levi’s muscles ripple underneath it. It only lasted for a moment, though, before Levi was walking to his side.

“Fucking Hanji,” he said. He held his hand out to Eren. “Give me the key.”

Eren was glad that Levi didn’t seem to be blaming him for entering his apartment, but he still didn’t want to get Hanji in trouble. “But, it’s Hanji’s key…”

“Yeah, and she lost her privileges,” Levi told him without room for argument.

“She didn’t mean for…”

“She fucking did, brat. She knew I was in the shower. She just texted me to ask if I remembered to wear a towel today.” Eren blushed profusely and handed Levi the key. “Now get out my place.”

Eren made some kind of squeaking noise of embarrassment and turned to open the door. He slammed it behind him without looking back at Levi’s furious expression.

 _Fucking Hanji_ , Eren had to agree with Levi’s sentiment. Eren had been tricked, and in the end he hadn’t even gotten to talk with Levi at all. At this rate, he’d never be able to talk to him in earnest. And he _definitely_ wouldn’t be able to talk to him without undressing him with his eyes. _Fuck_.

He ran down the stairs and turned to go back into the store, but remembered that he didn’t have a key to return anymore. Hanji probably already knew that he’d had the key confiscated, though. Eren couldn’t believe she’d set him up like that. She knew that he was gay and she’d obviously gathered that he had a crush on Levi. If he were any other guy, it wouldn’t have been uncomfortable for him to see Levi nearly naked. But Hanji must’ve known that he’d react in the way he did, effectively unfuriating Levi. Eren also suspected that Levi wasn’t exactly welcome to strangers in his home in general. And someone so proficient in self-defense had to be beating himself up for letting his defenses be circumvented so easily.

Eren started his walk home, his cheeks burning as he tried to shake images of Levi out of his head. This whole thing was hopeless. He’d found a way to get on Levi’s bad side without really meaning to.

And because he was feeling so shitty, his phone rang. His father had a knack for calling at the most inconvenient times, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on "Books and Shit"... Levi makes an exception.


End file.
